Egyptians Protest French Cartoons Insulting Prophet

Egyptians Protest French Cartoons Insulting Prophet

Dozens of protesters congregated in front of the French embassy in Cairo, on Sep­tember 22, to protest against the decision to publish cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo.

State security forces blocked Mourad Road lead­ing to the Giza-based mission, in order to prevent the protesters from reaching the building.

Protesters chanted “Wake up Egyptians, They Are Insulting Your Prophet.”

Demonstrators complained that the West was deliberately provoking Muslims by printing of­fensive cartoons immediately after the anti-Islam film sparked protests across the Islamic world. Groups also threatened to boycott French pro­duce.

Most protesters stated that they were not part of any political group, however many are dressed in the traditional Egyptian Islamic attire.

Coptic Christians also participated in the dem­onstration. “We are here to stand united togeth­er,” the Christian individuals said. “Every religion has extremists and this person who created The Innocence of Muslims is trying to create sectarian strife between Egyptians.”

The French Foreign Ministry announced that it would temporarily close its missions in Egypt and in 19 other countries, in addition to stepping up the security presence around French diplomatic sites.

The French embassy in Cairo, for its part, announced that it would close all of its associ­ated cultural centers and schools. France has five consulates in Egypt, in addition to its consulate-general in the capital.

Germany’s mission in Cairo is also taking pre­cautions following a national debate in Germany on whether to allow public screenings of the now-infamous short film The Innocence of Muslims.

The cartoons were published in the wake of vio­lent protests across the Islamic world against the release of the contentious US-made film.

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